Posted By Kevin On April 19, 2011 @ 12:00 PM In Using The Internet | No Comments

Google Chrome browser has risen to be one of the most popular web browsers, with a nifty set of features that have impressed Internet users. The support for add-ons known as extensions, the support for tabs, speed dial on the home screen and an awesome speed, takes Google Chrome to the very next level and beyond what many other browsersare currently offering. Behind the scenes, Google Chrome has a very strong sandbox that remains the standalone champion in many browser hacking contests. The sandbox gives Google Chrome the best in class security. This makes Google Chrome a safe choice for everyone, irrespective of their needs. The very fact that it is based on the open source Chromium project gives it a number of enthusiasts and developers who are constantly striving to make Google Chrome the best browser.

A web browser determines largely how you use the Internet, and a web browser with speed, breaks the barrier between desktop and Internet usage. A feature rich web browser adds extra dimensions to your browsing and gives you the ability to experience the Internet like never before. This makes Google Chrome an integral part of my web browsing experience.

Google offers a download for Chrome on its server. However, I have always loathed the download because it is a stub downloader. In simpler words, the Google Chrome download offered by Google is itself a downloader that in turn downloads the full Chrome browser and then installs it. That is the reason why the download from Google is sized at only around 500 KB as compared to other web browsers that are sized at around 10 MB at the least.

Why do we need an Offline Installer? Is it better than the Online Installer?

The Offline installer is a potential bandwidth saver if you need to install Chrome across multiple computers or multiple times. Also, it can be distributed among friends and we can install Chrome even when we do not have an Internet connection at hand.

However, the Offline installer has some pitfalls. Google installs a service called Google Updater Service if you install Chrome online. However, if you install it using the offline installer, the update service might not be installed. This means, your Google Chrome will not update automatically. With the browser forming a critical part of online transactions, keeping it updated with the latest version saves you from vulnerabilities and bugs.

Clicking on the Download Google Chrome button brings up the next page that has their terms and conditions page as shown in the next image. Beware of the checkbox that says, Set Google Chrome as my default browser.

When you click on Accept and Install, the download of your Google Chrome browser will start.

As you can see, the download is of 555 KB and finishes fast. What follows is a long download of the actual installer file. It is slow, breaks and restarts often and does not even proceed at times. We do not want any of these troubles and annoyances. So, we will move to downloading the full installer file.

How to download the full installer of Google Chrome browser

The full installer for the Google Chrome browser is popularly known as the Offline Installer for Google Chrome or the Alternate Installer for Google Chrome. Thankfully, Google provides for a full installer too.